to his memory. On the death of this gentleman, W. Busfield, Esq. of Upwood, came forward in the liberal interest. He was opposed by W. Wilberforce, Esq., a son of the great man of that name, and brother to the present Bishop of Oxford. The contest, (with the exception of that at Halifax, when the Hon. J. S. Wortley beat his opponent, Mr. Protherhoe, by one,) was the most severe on record. Not many minutes before four o'clock, Mr. Wilberforce was seven votes a-head, and his election was looked upon as a matter of certainty, but the arrival of a skilful tactician from Leeds, in the opposite camp, is supposed to have changed the fortunes of the day. All tricks, common to electioneering, were resorted to; every thing, as in war, being considered fair, and at the close of the poll, Mr. Busfield was in a majority of four, the numbers standing thus:Busfield, 526; Wilberforce, 522. An intense degree of excitement prevailed, but no disturbance of any kind took place. The election of 1851 was caused by the death of Wm. Busfield, Esq., who died at the advanced age of 82. R. Milligan, Esq.,-(of the firm of Milligan and Forbes)-stuff merchants, was returned without opposition, his only opponent, H. W. Wickham, Esq., a gentleman highly esteemed, and possessing considerable influence, having thought it prudent to retire from the contest. Both candidates professed free-trade principles. : A. D. 1847 Previous to 1847, the town was under the jurisdiction of the magistrates for the West-riding, and two constables were appointed annually at a vestry meeting in the parish church. In this year, Charter of the inhabitants received a charter of incorporation, and the town Incorporadivided into eight wards, is governed by a mayor, 14 aldermen, and 42 councillors. The following gentlemen have filled the office of chief magistrate since the period mentioned: 1847 Robert Milligan. 1848 1849 Robert Milligan. Titus Salt. 1850 Henry Forbes. The rapid progress of the Union will be at once apparent from the following figures: In 1841-132,161; and in 1851-181,977. The relative number of the sexes, according to the census of 1851, was-Males, 88,969; Females, 93,008. The subjoined statement shews the increase in the number of houses: 1841 Inhabited, 25,551 1851 Inhabited, 34,445 tion Thus it will be seen that the number of unoccupied houses in 1851, was nearly five times less than in 1841-an indisputable proof of the high degree of prosperity which must have prevailed between the two periods. A. D. 1810 Manufacture of BARNSLEY. The favourable situation of this town in the heart of a district abounding in coal, iron, and stone, amply supplied with water, and intersected with canals in almost every direction, affording facilities of communication with many of the principal towns in the kingdom, render it peculiarly eligible for the purposes of trade; and the introduction of the linen manufacture, towards the close of the last century, appears to have laid the foundation of its subsequent increase, and its present prosperity. Since the introduction of that branch of manufacture, the place has been steadily advancing in importance, and so rapid has been its progress, that within the last thirty years its population has been nearly quintupled. The chief articles produced here for many years were the coarser kinds of linen goods, principally towelling, sheeting, dowlas, and duck; linen goods. but about the year 1810, the manufacture of huckabacks, diapers, damasks, broad sheeting, and the finer sorts of linen was attempted, and carried on with complete success; and since that period, the improvement made in this branch, has been such as to rival in fineness of texture and beauty of pattern, the most costly productions of Scotland and Ireland. The demand for drills has now become so extensive as to form the principal branch of trade. More than 4,000 hand-looms are constantly employed in weaving these articles in an endless variety of patterns, and several large factories have recently been established, producing annually upwards of 220,000 pieces, each fifty yards in length. The impetus given to this branch has led to the introduction of power-looms, which are well adapted to the heavier kinds of linen. The total amount of the linens manufactured averages about £1,000,000 per annum. In the town and its vicinity are extensive works for bleaching, dyehouses, and large calendering establishments. There are also several iron foundries, and two manufactories for steel wire, the produce of which is used by the needle makers. Coal of excellent Products. quality is obtained in the immediate vicinity, of which one seam, called the Barnsley thick bed, averages about ten feet in thickness; and there are other extensive mines in operation; and this produce, combined with that of the iron and freestone, with which the district abounds, forms a considerable source of trade. Great facilities of conveyance are afforded by the Barnsley Canal, which was constructed in 1794, and extends from the river Calder, near Wakefield, to the Dearne and Done Canal, and there is now direct railway communication to the town. Barnsley is pleasantly situated on the acclivity of a hill rising from the banks of the river Dearne, and consists of several streets, of which the more ancient are narrow and irregularly formed, but those of more modern date are spacious and uniformly built. The streets are lighted with gas by a company of shareholders, established under an Act of Parliament in 1821, with a capital of £6,000, raised in shares of £10 each; and the inhabitants are supplied with water of an excellent quality Mineral A. D. 1821 from the Dearne, by another company, having a capital of £9,000. The chapelry comprises by measurement 2,116 acres of rich and fertile land, in high cultivation; the surface is boldly varied, and the scenery in many parts picturesque. In the immediate vicinity is Wentworth Castle, the magnificent residence of F. T. W. V. Wentworth, Esq. This mansion, built by Thomas, Earl of Strafford, in 1730, contains one of the best galleries of pictures in the kingdom; and the interior, as well as the grounds, are, by the liberality of the owner, accessible to visitors, at prescribed periods, and of this privilege, great numbers from the surrounding districts constantly avail themselves. The mansion of Sir William Pilkington, Bart., at Chevet, possesses considerable attractions, both on account of its ancient character, and the beautiful park in which it stands. In 1837, Public Rooms, in the Grecian style, were erected Public in Barnsley, at an expense of £1,500, by a proprietary of £25 Buildings. shareholders. The building contains a subscription library and news-room, the latter of which is embellished with an original full length portrait of the Duke of Wellington, painted by W. P. Briggs, Esq., R.A., and a likeness of Archdeacon Corbett, by the same artist. The Court-house is a neat substantial building, erected in 1833, at an expense of £1,300, of which £500 were raised by rate, and the remainder by subscription. It contains various rooms for holding the courts, and for the transaction of public business; the hall contains a full length portrait of the late Lord Wharncliffe, by the artist above mentioned. There is also a Mechanics' Institution, a theatre, Odd-fellows hall, schools, and numerous charitable institutions, supported by property bequeathed in by-gone times. The town is within the liberty of the honour of Pontefract, and its management is vested in commissioners, chosen at the court of quarter sessions, under an act for lighting, paving, watching, and improving the place. The Church, dedicated to St. Mary, with the exception of the tower, has been re-built of freestone, found in the neighbourhood, at a cost of £12,000, raised by a rate on the inbabitants; it contains 1,050 sittings. The east window is embellished with paintings of our Saviour, the Virgin Mary, and the Four Evangelists, in stained glass. St. George's Church, a handsome structure, to which a district has been assigned, was erected in 1823, by the Parliamentary Commissioners, at an expense of £6,500; it contains 1,174 sittings, of which 790 are free. Other places of worship exist for the various denominations of dissenters. About a mile from the town are the remains of the Cluniac Priory of Monk Bretton, founded in the 3rd of Henry II., the revenue of which, at the dissolution, was £323 8s. 2d. regret to say that within the last few years, an awful sacrifice of life has been occasioned by explosions in some of the coal mines near Barnsley, a notice of which appears in the first volume of the Annals. The population of the union, according to the census of Population. 1851, was 34,979, of which 17,936 were males, and 17,043 females. The number of houses at the same period was 6,962. We A. D. 1840 BEDALE. This town, which has been considerably improved of late, is pleasantly situated on the banks of a stream flowing into the river Swale near Scruton, in the North-riding, and consists of one principal street, which is lighted with gas. The houses are in general of brick, and irregularly built; the air is pure, and the neighbourhood affords many pleasant walks and much picturesque scenery. Among the more recent buildings is a handsome structure, containing apartments for the savings' bank and a suite of assembly rooms. Several extensive woolstaplers carry on business here, and give employment to numerous woolcombers. The fair for cattle is the most considerable in the north of England; the horses exhibited for sale are generally of superior value, the surrounding country being famed for its breed of hunters and race horses. The church, which is of remarkable strength, having been used as a place of security from the incursions of the Scots, contains several interesting monuments, one of which is to the memory of Sir Brian Fitz-Alan, Lord-lieutenant of Scotland, in the reign of Edward I., who resided in a castle near the church, of which there are now no remains. A district church was erected at Crakehall, in 1840, and there are other places of worship for dissenters. The means of instruction are ample; and provision is made for the poor by means of hospitals and numerous bequests. Sir Christopher Wray, Lord Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench, in the reign of Elizabeth, was a native of this place. About five miles north-west of Bedale, is Hornby Castle, the seat of the Duke of Leeds. The apartments in this mansion are grand and superbly finished; the situation is commanding, and from the battlements are seen to great advantage the rich and picturesque valley of Bedale, stretching up to the western moors, forming a magnificent and imposing contrast. That well known thoroughfare, LeemingLane, is two miles from Bedale, and at easy distances are Masham and Middleham. At the last mentioned place, are the remains of a castle erected in 1190, near which is the loudest and most distinct echo ever heard. There is a tradition that this fortress was reduced to ruins by Oliver Cromwell, but it is unsupported by history. The beautiful ruin of Jerveaux Abbey is three miles from Middleham. The Union of Bedale, comprising twenty-three parishes or places, in 1851, contained a population of 8,972, of which 4,516 were males, and 4,456 females. The number of houses at the same period was 2,005. L'opulation.p BEVERLEY. From the woods which formerly covered this place, it was called DEIRWALDE, implying the forest of the Deiri, the ancient inhabitants of this part of the country, which is in the East-riding. Sub sequently, owing to the number of beavers with which the river Hull abounded, it was designated BEVERLEGA, and later still, BEVERLAC, from which its present name is deduced. One of the archbishops of York, after filling the see for thirty-three years, spent the remainder of his life in retirement and devotion here, and dying in 721, he was canonized by the title of St. John of Beverley. His memory was held in such veneration, that William the Conqueror, having advanced within seven miles of the town, gave strict orders to his army that they should not damage the church; the day of his death was appointed to be kept holy, and the festival of his translation, (October 25th) was, in 1416, ordered to be annually celebrated, in commemoration of the battle of Agincourt, which was superstitiously thought to have been gained through his intercession. Sir John Hotham, whose treachery to the parliament, when governor of Hull, during the civil war, was made prisoner at Beverley, to which he had fled on the discovery of his intention to surrender the former place into the hands of the royalists. A. D. 1416 The town, which is the capital of the East-riding, is pleasantly situated at the foot of the Wolds, in the heart of an extensive sporting district; the approach from the Driffield road is remarkably fine, having, particularly on the north-east side, many elegant buildings, and terminating in an ancient gategay leading into the town. On one of the pastures, called the " Hurn," about half a mile distant, races take place annually, and for the accommodation of the spectators, a commodious stand has been erected. The air is salubrious, and this, in addition to the other attractions possessed by Beverley, has long made it the favourite resort and residence of many highly respectable families. It is about a mile in length, and consists of several well-built streets, and some handsome and spacious public buildings; it is lighted with gas, and well supplied with water. Here are several tanneries, breweries, and large malt-kilns, numerous corn mills, a foundry, and two large establishments for the manufacture of paint, colour, cement, and Paris white, the last of which is made from excellent chalk rock, obtained about a mile south of the town. Here are also manufactures of coarse linen and sacking, and numerous poor persons are employed in the market gardens and nurseries in the vicinity. By a canal called Beverley Beck, the town is connected with the river Hull, and the port of Kingston-upon-Hull, by means of which great facilities are afforded for the transmission of produce. The public edifices do not call for particular notice. Public The Guild-Hall, which was repaired and beautified a few years Buildings. ago, is a neat building, appropriated to the business of the corporation, and the holding of the general quarter sessions. The House of Correction for the East-riding, is a spacious structure, erected at an expense of £16,000, situated on the road to Driffield and Scarborough; it contains all the necessary provisions for punishment, |